Catholic music festival to rock Midwest

Steelville, Ill., Aug 18, 2004 / 12:00 am (CNA).- The American Midwest will host the United States’ largest Catholic music festival next month for the second year. St. Louis Catholic Music Festival, also billed as the CrossRoads Festival, will feature Catholic music artists, as well as speakers, worship, prayer and fellowship in a celebration of faith.

The two-day event will be held Sept. 25-26 on the grounds of the Eagle Hurst Ranch outside of Steelville, Missouri, about 90 miles from St. Louis. All participants are welcome to camp overnight and attend mass the next morning.

Participants also have access to the Eagle Hurst facilities and can take part in hiking, river wading, badminton and shuffleboard. There will also be the opportunity for Eucharistic adoration and confession throughout the day.

“We hope people will make use of this chance to prepare for adoration in the evening, which is really the high-point and spiritual focus of the day,” says organizer Larry Nolte.

Nolte organized the event last year after seeing a copy of Time magazine with the headline "Can the Catholic Church Survive?" concerning the recent Church scandals, and he thought the Church deserved better. “We needed to support one another somehow,” he said. “The music festival was just an extension of that thought.”

This year, the concert will be headlined by Catholic artists Danielle Rose, Greg Walton and Karl Zimmerman. Speakers include Greg Robeson and the REAP Team.

Admission is $25 per person, which includes all the events, camping, parking and three meals.